George was chosen to carry the hard hat at the end of the fall practice season. It wasn't an honor he had sought; it was one he had earned. George never wanted credit for anything. He didn't care about personal statistics. He was the guy who would pick up a ground ball and pass it to a teammate who would pass it again to someone else who would take the shot and score. He worked so hard and was so selfless that people gravitated to him as a leader. He had moral authority because he did everything the right way. He never slacked and never took a play off in practice or games. Yes, the guys were in awe of his athletic ability, but it was his work ethic and selflessness that earned their respect and admiration.

The coaching staff asked George to switch from being a long-stick defensive midfielder to a short-stick defensive midfielder because we already had one of the best long-stick midfielders in the country, a junior named Josh Heller. We figured if we could get George and Josh on the field at the same time, we would be that much better. But we also knew it wasn't an easy transition for George to make. Playing with a short stick versus a long stick requires a completely different set of stick skills and would present a huge challenge. When we asked George to switch, he didn't complain at all. In fact, it still amazes me that here he was, one of the top recruits in the country as a long-stick midfielder, and he was willing to switch in order to make the team better.

Instead of complaining to his coaches and teammates, George focused on improving. Every day for the rest of the year George would be out there before and after practice throwing the ball against the wall, working to improve his stick skills. The guys on the team would tease George that he was the greatest athlete with the worst stick skills of all time, but George didn't listen to any of it. All he was focused on was getting better. I can remember many freezing nights, long after practice was over—his teammates were taking warm showers—and I'd see George out there throwing the ball against the wall. And I wasn't the only one who noticed. Everyone saw George putting in extra time and it spoke volumes about who he was and what he was all about.

Guys worked hard because they knew George was working hard. He pushed everyone to work harder and get better without saying a word. He didn't have to. They saw how he went about his business. Even the older players on the team looked up to him.